The development of cancer is a slow process and it very often takes a number of years before a tumor becomes clinically evident. No current te- nique is sensitive and specific enough to detect tumors at their earliest stage, i. e., when the tumor is smaller than one billion cells. Consequently, the d- ease is usually diagnosed in an advanced state, very often when it is already beyond the reach of therapeutic strategies. This is the main stumbling block to the secondary prevention that would reduce cancer mortality. There is hope, however, because in the last decade we have witnessed an...

The development of cancer is a slow process and it very often takes a number of years before a tumor becomes clinically evident. No current te- nique is sensitive and specific enough to detect tumors at their earliest stage, i. e., when the tumor is smaller than one billion cells. Consequently, the d- ease is usually diagnosed in an advanced state, very often when it is already beyond the reach of therapeutic strategies. This is the main stumbling block to the secondary prevention that would reduce cancer mortality. There is hope, however, because in the last decade we have witnessed an...